To Eat or Not to Eat the Placenta: What You Should Know About the Placenta

Can you eat the placenta? Yes. What exactly is behind it and how you can use the placenta alternatively, we have put together for you in this article.

Eating placenta: interesting facts about placenta

When you hear about the placenta being eaten after birth, many people don’t immediately understand what the placenta actually is. The placenta is also commonly referred to as placenta. The umbilical cord connects the baby to the placenta throughout pregnancy.

• It has a dual function during pregnancy: on the one hand, it produces all the hormones that are important for pregnancy and on the other, it supplies the child with the substances it needs to survive.
• The placenta not only provides the baby with the necessary substances, but can also break down harmful waste products such as urine. So your baby will not suffer any harm.
• You can imagine the function of the placenta as a barrier: vitamins, amino acids and other important substances pass through the placenta and are passed on to the baby, while harmful substances are immediately filtered out.
• The placenta begins to develop just a few weeks after the beginning of pregnancy. This remains attached to the baby until the end of the pregnancy.
• During childbirth, the placenta is passed after the baby. It looks rather oval and has a diameter of about 20 centimeters. The surface is normally traversed by several blood vessels.

Eating placenta: advantages and disadvantages

You often hear that women eat their placenta or parts of it after giving birth. We have put together for you what exactly is behind it and why this can also be dangerous.

• The idea basically developed out of esoteric beliefs. The basic idea was that animals also eat their afterbirth, which is equivalent to the human placenta.
• Exactly how the placenta is ingested varies from person to person. Some mothers eat pieces of the placenta raw, others cook them or use them to prepare whole dishes.
• It is assumed that eating the placenta can alleviate what is known as postpartum depression. It should also be able to reduce birth pains.
• Further successes are hoped for in terms of a more intensive bond with the baby and a general strengthening of the immune system. Better breast milk production should also be achieved.
• In general, none of the suspected effects have been scientifically proven. The positive effect has therefore only been reported through individual experiences; however, many reports also indicate a lack of success.
• On the other hand, it can be assumed that the placenta, due to its ability to filter out harmful substances, still contains harmful substances or even heavy metals even after birth. So it can be dangerous to eat the placenta.
• In the worst case, eating the placenta can even endanger your baby’s health due to the bacteria that you ingest with the placenta. So the risk shouldn’t be taken.

Alternative use of the placenta

The placenta is expelled at birth and you are faced with the question of what you want to do with the placenta. There are different possibilities for this.

• Basically, after birth, the placenta is examined by the midwife so that you can be sure that it has been completely eliminated from your body.
• Once the completeness of the placenta has been determined, it is returned to the woman. In general, this is the property of the woman: she can therefore decide what she wants to do with it.
• One option for further use is the production of so-called globules. These can give the baby and mother a health boost in the event of illness; however, the effect has not been proven.
• It is also a symbolic custom to bury the placenta and then plant a tree on it. This is said to represent the birth of a new life.
• If you want a picture of the placenta’s surface, you can also photograph it or make an impression using some paint. The blood vessels often provide an interesting tree motif.
• Alternatively, you can donate the placenta to science to support research. In this way you donate the organ to a good cause and you do not have to worry about disposal or the like yourself.
• The umbilical cord, which is the link between the baby and the placenta, also contains valuable stem cells. Here, too, you have the choice of donating them or having them frozen for your own provision.